1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the packaging of valuable items such as gemstones, pearls or other rare and valuable items for the purpose of display and shipping. The purpose of the protective packaging is to provide a sturdy container or receptacle for shipping individual items of the character described while permitting the gemstone or the like to be viewed without opening the container and to further provide evidence of tampering or opening of the container for unauthorized purposes. The present invention has particular applicability for instance with regard to television marketing of such items as gemstones which are direct shipped to the purchaser after viewing on a TV screen with the condition that the item is not returnable once the packaging has been broken. As can be appreciated, the purchaser desires to view the actual precious stone before purchase is final and is usually given the opportunity of returning the item, provided the packaging has not been broken. Incidents of fraud have become an increasing concern in this type of marketing. The usual tampering method is to open the package, replace the precious item with a counterfeit replica and then return the package containing the worthless item to the marketing source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art containers have been developed for storing and displaying precious items such as gems, coins, medals, stamps and the like. The packaging permits the item to be viewed for grading or other purposes but provides for either tamper prevention or tamper evidencing to protect the authenticity of the item. U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,774 to Benardelli utilizes a plastic viewing case for a coin or precious stone with a delaminable hologram bonded between the elements of the container which becomes visibly and irreparably lacerated upon an opening attempt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,005 to Boyd et al likewise utilizes a tamper-evident device such as a thin-film tape or other optically variable coating which is disrupted or destroyed when surfaces in contact with either side of the tape are separated. The tape is used at points where an outer covering engages an inner element upon initial insertion of the inner element. The tamper-evident tape will irreversibly indicate separation of attached components as might occur in an attempt to gain access to the valuable item contained in the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,218 to Brauckmann is an example of an adhesive label which serves as a tamper-proof closure for a package or box of a generic kind.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,831 to Szabo et al discloses another form of protective packaging for displaying precious gems, coins or other small valuable articles wherein elements of the container may be fused together to prevent tampering in the course of transit. The problems encountered with tamper-evident films or tapes is that, under certain conditions of application of heat, the tamper-evident feature becomes permanently non-functional. In the case of fused portions of the container, it may be possible to break the seal and re-fuse the elements once a fraudulent substitution has been made.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,612 to Tsuchiya et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,463 to George are cited as of interest for the showing of shrink wrap packaging not necessarily intended as tamper-evident closures. Because of their fragile nature and sensitivity to temperature extremes, this type of packaging has definite limitations and will not usually be guaranteed by the provider to remain intact for purposes such as the shipment of valuable gemstones and the like.